The present invention relates to improvements in inexpensive flow controllers, particularly adaptable for use in oil/grease separating devices. Oil/grease separating devices have been known for a number of years, and are commonly used in commercial kitchens to remove oil/grease components from the kitchen sink effluent. This permits recycling of the oil/grease components and reduces the expenses charged by sewage treatment authorities because of the decreased oil/grease content of the sewage. Various apparatuses of this type are known, including devices commercially sold by the assignee of the present invention, Thermaco, Inc. of Asheboro, N.C. under the trademark Big Dipper.RTM..
Exemplary patents of such devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,726 to Shimko; U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,284 to Batten; U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,881 to Miller et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,396 to Lowe. Those patents disclose various apparatuses for dealing with the removal of the oil/grease from the water effluent. All have in common the direction of the effluent to a container to permit the oil/grease to rise to the surface with various apparatuses being disclosed to remove the oil/grease floating on the surface of the water.
In order to provide standing time for the oil/grease to rise to the surface, the flow rate through the holding tank must be controlled. For example FIG. 15 of the Lowe patent shows a flow reducer in a coupling. The flow reducer is provided in the form of a copper insert which reduces the flow by about one-fourth. Other reducers known for these functions include a flat plate device. Both the conical and the flat plate devices have disadvantages. First, the conical inserts are expensive to fabricate and, typically being made of copper, result in a galvanic action with the other metallic components of the oil/grease dispenser, leading to corrosion. The flat metal plate orifices are prone to jamming by cylindrically shaped food solids, such as carrots. Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved, inexpensive flow controller, particularly for use with effluent which has entrained elongated or cylindrical solids.